There is no universal schedule: x-ray frequency follows your decay risk, not the calendar.
The FDA and ADA's joint guidance says dentists should select patients for radiographs by weighing diagnostic benefit against exposure, using your history and vulnerability to oral disease. That makes the right interval different for everyone: high decay risk, lots of existing fillings, gum disease, or dry mouth all shorten it; years of clean check-ups lengthen it. Children are typically imaged more often because their teeth are developing and decay moves faster in younger teeth. The ADA's standing rule is that every exposure must be justified by its benefit.
What to do
Common questions
How often do I need dental x-rays?
As often as your risk says, not as often as the calendar says. The joint FDA and American Dental Association guidance tells dentists to decide on x-rays by weighing each image's diagnostic benefit against radiation exposure, using your health history and your vulnerability to oral disease, rather than following a fixed timetable. In practice, a new patient with lots of fillings and active decay might get bitewing x-rays at short intervals, while someone with years of clean check-ups and low sugar exposure can go much longer between sets. Children and teenagers are usually imaged more often because their teeth and jaws are still developing and decay moves faster in baby teeth. What you can take from this: it is normal and correct for your interval to differ from your partner's or your colleague's. If you are being x-rayed every visit without a reason, ask why, since the ADA's rule is that every exposure must be justified. And if you change dentists, transfer your old x-rays so nothing gets repeated.